A Winter of Ghosts (15 page)

The witch began to glide towardthe trees.

"No!" Kara said.

Yuki-Onna spun, her triumphantsmile revealing rows of little shark teeth.
"I asked your name, girl? Whoare you?"

"If you are winter, then Iam spring," Kara said.

Hatred contorted the witch'sface, making beauty hideous.
"You are nothing. Just a little girl witha sprig of magic."

Yuki-Onna came for her, then,her fingers elongating into icy knives. Her jaws opened too wide, revealingonly blackness and those shark teeth within. Her eyes sunk deeper, turnedblacker. Kara's lower lip trembled and she thought she might scream or cry. Instead,she held her breath and shrank down, crouching as the witch grasped at the air,searching for her, head cocked to one side. Her icy fingers missed Kara byseveral feet, but they kept clutching at nothing and eventually they would findher.

But then the witch faltered andlifted her chin. Her beauty and poise returned and in seconds it was as if themonster had never been there. Even her eyes seemed soft and almost ordinary inthat moment.

Until the witch's savage grinreturned.

"Stupid girl. I amancient, but I am no fool."

Kara saw it in the witch's eyes.Yuki-Onna knew that she had been lured away, knew that she had been tricked. Thewind whipped into a raging storm, snow churning around Yuki-Onna for a fewseconds before it subsided, but when the moment had passed and the windreturned to normal, Yuki-Onna was gone.

"Oh, no," Kara said."She's going back for them."

M
ai and Ume stood over Sakura'sbed, only the injured girl's breathing and the soft beep of machines breakingthe quiet in the hospital room. Though Ume continued to insist that she haddone nothing wrong, her air of superiority had begun to crack. She had beenhesitant to even enter Sakura's hospital room, but Mai had insisted. And nowMai watched as Ume fidgeted uneasily, not wanting to even look at theunconscious girl on the bed. . the dying girl.

Ume reached up and tucked a lockof her hair behind her ear. In all the time Mai had known her, Ume had movedand spoken with a swagger that sometimes verged on arrogance, and other timesfully embraced it. Now, for once, Ume seemed at a loss for what to say or do.

"This has nothing to dowith me," Ume said, almost as if she were arguing with herself.

Beside her, Mai stiffened, angersparking in her again. "It has everything to do with you. You may not haveintended for the chain of events that followed — there's no way you couldhave guessed at the power you were invoking, the evil that would come from it — but you committed murder."

Fear and anger flashed in Ume'seyes and she shot Mai a bitter look. "She was never meant to die." Ina blink, her uncertainty returned. "Not that I'm admitting anything. I'mnot."

Mai almost laughed. "Youdon't have to admit anything. I told you. Everyone knows you're guilty. Thatyou're a killer."

What flickered in Ume's gazethen, Mai could not interpret, but she wondered. Had she seen regret there? Sorrow?Grief? Or just varying shades of anger and ego?

"Listen, I have nointention of just hanging around the hospital all day waiting for the littlebonsai to call and tell us it's time to chant a magic spell around thecampfire." Ume arched an eyebrow, glancing down at Sakura, whose breathhad quickened. The beeping of the machine seemed to have sped up. "And Ididn't come here to watch this girl die."

Mai could feel a sharp retortforming on her lips, but as Ume's words hung in the air she heard the pain inthem. The mask of arrogance was slipping further, revealing another personunderneath, maybe the person Ume had been before she had perfected the identityof the queen soccer bitch. She had made herself ruthless in order to stand out,to be popular, to create a perception of herself as elite.

So what are you?
Maiasked herself.
You took the bitch crown quickly enough when she was out ofthe way.
A sick feeling roiled in her gut. Yes, Mai had assured herself andWakana that she had only filled the void left by Ume's departure becausesomeone had to, and she thought she could protect herself and others and holdthe reins on Reiko and the girls by being queen bitch herself. But how much ofthat was true, and how much of it rationalization?

She had been demonizing Ume evenas she became her. And if that was true, then what was really in Ume's heart,now? Unless the girl was a complete psychopath, she really had not intended forAkane Murakami to die, which meant that her life now must be utter torment. Badenough that her parents suspected, that all of her friends and teacherssuspected her of murder — but worse, she had taken a human life.

She must by dying inside. Rottingfrom the inside out.

Mai shivered at the thought.

"What did you come herefor, then?" she asked.

Ume began to bristle, turning toher, but she must have seen the sincerity of the question in Mai's face,because she hesitated before speaking.

"Mr. Yamato threatened tosend the police," Ume replied.

"But it wasn't just that,was it?" Mai asked.

Ume pushed her hair back again. Sheseemed to want to speak, but to be struggling with the words. Had she come backto face what she had done? Mai believed so.

"You might feel better ifyou tell her you're sorry," Mai suggested.

Ume glared at her. "Who? Akane?Don't be stupid, girl. Akane Murakami is dead."

"Not Akane," Mai said,nodding toward the hospital bed. "Sakura. You took her sister from her. Yourcrime and her rage and grief brought Kyuketsuki here. She and her friends arecursed because of you."

Ume's face contorted withclashing emotions. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I am cursed!
I
am!" Ume said.

"By guilt," Mai said,her voice low.

"Yes, by guilt! I never.. it wasn't my. ." Ume said, but she could not find the words toexpress the emotion welling up within her. She wiped her tears away even as heranger drained away. Her breath hitched and she let out a terrible sigh ofsurrender.

Surrender to the truth.

Ume turned her back on Mai andreached down to take Sakura's hand.

"I'm sorry," she saidquietly, shoulders quaking as she wept.

And then she stiffened, a smallnoise coming from her throat. Mai frowned, wondering what had happened to her. Umehad frozen as though something had frightened her. But then Sakura began toshift on the hospital bed, the beeping on the machines began to speed up, andMai saw that the comatose girl had gripped Ume's hand and started to pull herdown.

"Is she — " Maibegan.

But then Sakura's eyes flutteredopen and Mai fell silent. The injured girl had bleary eyes, but she blinked afew times and she came fully awake. Something shone in those eyes, atranquility and happiness that seemed incredible in that moment.

"Sakura's friends are introuble," Sakura herself whispered, but her voice sounded so strange, notunlike her at all.

"What?" Ume asked,trying to step back but unable to break the girl's grip. "What do youmean, 'Sakura's friends?'"

Sakura smiled weakly, thennodded. "A small mistake. My friends, of course." She shifted hergaze toward Mai. "Kara and Miho and all of those with them. . they arenot going to be able to make it back for the ritual."

Mai shook her head. "How doyou. . how could you know that? You've been unconscious."

Sakura blinked and for a momentshe seemed disoriented again, and then that strange light inside her eyes hadgone.

"I dreamed it," shesaid, sounding as surprised as Mai felt. "But it's true. We have to go tothem."

Sakura threw back her covers,reached over and pulled out her IV needle.

"What are you doing?" Ume demanded. "You were dying!"

That gave Sakura pause. "Dying?" she asked, sounding sad and afraid. She looked down at her body. "Maybe Iwas, but not anymore."

Mai stared at the girl, shakingher head. "But how is that possible?"

Sakura smiled. "You've allbeen seeing ghosts. I finally saw one, too. The one I've been waiting for."She turned to look at Ume. "She doesn't like you very much."

Ume began to back away, huggingherself as if she were cold, looking around the room. "Akane?"

Sakura tapped her chest. "She'sin here." Then she put a hand across her forehead. "And in here."

"And you're. . better?" Mai asked, wondering if Sakura might actually be losing her mind. But shedismissed the thought immediately. Her sudden strength and healing were nohallucination.

Sakura glanced from Mai to Ume."The ghosts are here to help. But Kubo was right. I hate you, Ume. Youneed to pay for what you've done. But if we're to break Kyuketsuki's curse, theUnsui is going to need us both there. We need to go now!"

Kara ran, snow crunchingunderfoot, arms up to protect her face from branches whipping by. Her hearthammered in her chest and her skin felt flush with terror, not for herself, butfor her friends. Behind her she heard a grunt and glanced back to see MissAritomo stumble and fall, sprawling across a bush. Without a thought she dartedback, grabbed Yuuka's upraised hand and hauled her to her feet, and MissAritomo fell into step behind her again.

"Where are we going?" Miss Aritomo asked, struggling to catch her breath.

"I don't know exactly,"Kara told her, not for the first time.

She expected Miss Aritomo toargue, but the woman said nothing more. They ran through a clearing amongst acircle of pines where the snow was deeper and it slowed them down, but momentslater they emerged into the open area of the Takigami Mountain Observatory. Thesnow had started to come down hard, driven by the wind.

"Okay, we're here,"Kara huffed.

They had gotten off the path butshe had not wanted to spare even the few moments it would have taken for themto find it again. Now they sprinted past snowpacked picnic tables and reachedthe far side of the observatory area, and Kara could not believe it had beenonly days since they were here last, days since the field trip that had endedwith Sora dead and Hachiro and Ren missing.

Wiping snow from her eyes, Karawhipped out her phone, hit the button to dial Miho, and was answered instantly.

"Hey," Miho said,breathing hard but trying to be quiet just the same.

"We're at the observatory. Whereto now?"

"Head northwest. Kubo saysthere's an old trail. You'll find it, he says. It leads down at an angle. We'llmeet you on the west face. There's a cave there — "

"A cave! We should beheaded for the car!" Kara said. "This is crazy!"

She started into the trees,searching for the trail Miho mentioned. Yuuka Aritomo followed, and Kara couldn'tbelieve she did not speak up. They'd spent precious seconds arguing afterYuki-Onna had left them behind on the southern slope of the mountain. MissAritomo was right, Kara knew. They should have headed back down to the parkinglot right then. But when Kara had called to warn Miho and Kubo and Mr. Yamatothat the witch had figured out their plan and was on her way, Kubo had insistedthey all be together.

Kara had hesitated, but then sheheard Hachiro's voice in the background and her heart leapt. "Is that him?He's alive?"

When Miho confirmed that bothHachiro and Ren were alive, Kara had started running up the mountain toward theobservatory. She hadn't given Miss Aritomo another second to argue. Whateverhappened, she and Hachiro needed to be together.

But now. . a cave?

"Kubo says not to worry,"Miho said.

"How can he say that?" Kara demanded. She pushed a branch out of the way and saw a kind of naturalpath through the trees that must have been the trail the old monk wanted themto take.

The line crackled. The windwhere Miho was must be blowing hard. Kara could hear it roaring loudly now. Mihosaid something else, but Kara had trouble making out the words.

"What?" Kara said."What was that?"?"The storm. . Yuki-Onna. ."

"She's there?"

Kara started down the trail,barely aware of Miss Aritomo following. The snow had started to pick up aroundthem as well, the wind gusting, trees swaying.

"Not yet. But she's near. Wehave to hide. Just get to that cave. The ghosts will show you the way."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked.

But all she heard was the hissof static. She shoved the phone in her pocket, picking up her pace, rushingalong the old trail, ducking branches that were weighted down low with snow. Theworld had turned to a white blur around her.

Over the wind, she almost didn'thear Miss Aritomo calling her name. But then Yuuka shouted louder and Karaturned to see the teacher, buried inside her thick winter coat, running tocatch up to her, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Karaasked, stopping to wait for her. A ripple of fear went through her. "Yuki-Onna?"

Miss Aritomo shook her head. Shetried to speak but had been running so hard that she did not have the breathfor it. Instead she pointed into the trees on the side of the path. Kara lookedover and caught a glimpse of a figure in the woods, but with the wind and thesnow turning everything a ghostly white, it took her a moment to realize thatthe elderly woman she saw amongst the trees was not alive.

The ghosts will show you theway.

Another stepped up beside thefirst, this one the spirit of a young man. She did not recognize either ofthem, but stared in fascination at the way the snow passed right through them.

As one, they pointed along thepath. Kara looked at Miss Aritomo, saw an expression of astonishment that sheknew must match her own, and then they both looked toward where the ghosts werepointing.

"I know that girl,"Miss Aritomo said, her voice like a whisper in the roar of the storm.

"Chouku," Kara said. Once,the girl had been one of Ume's soccer club friends, but that was before herblood had been drained from her body by the creature Kyuketsuki had sent toprey on Monju-no-Chie school.

In life, Chouku had been apretty girl with a full, round face and intelligent eyes. Now she had nosubstance at all. As gusts of wind swept curtains of snow across the path, sheseemed to fade in and out of the world.

The ghost gave Kara a meaningfulglance and then turned, leaving the trail and hurrying through the trees. Karastarted to follow and Miss Aritomo grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?"

Kara took her hand. "Theghosts will show us the way."

"The way to what?"

There were a dozen answers tothat, but Kara did not feel certain of any of them. She pretended that the windhad stolen the words away and ran along the trail and into the woods, chasingghosts.

Miho tripped on a snow-coveredstone and nearly fell. Mr. Yamato caught her by the arm and they ran together. Herface stung with the cold and the speed of the snow pelting down around them. Thestorm had kicked up only seconds after Kara had first called her to say thatYuki-Onna had figured them out and was on her way back, and they'd been runningever since. Now it raged around them, the wind so strong that it had knockedher over twice.

They bent against the storm, allof them fringed with snow and ice, their hair crested white. The cold bit deepinto Miho's bones and her teeth chattered and her eyes watered, tears freezingon her cheeks.

Ren and Hachiro straggledbehind, both of them weak. The storm beat at them but they kept running,practically stumbling down the mountain. Hachiro held Ren by the arm, but Mihowasn't sure if this was to maintain his own balance or to keep the smaller boyfrom behind swept off into the trees by the screaming wind.

"Look out!" Mr. Yamatoyelled.

Soundless, a huge tree fellacross their path, branches snapping off, shards tossed into the maelstrom andwhipped up into the storm. The gale was roaring so loudly that they had noteven heard the crack of the old tree giving way.